Pole-socket and neck-yoke



{No.MbdeL') J. MJK'ET TLEWOOD,

POLE SOCKET AND NECK YOKE.

Patented Feb. 7, 1888.

.NITED STATES PATENT OFFrciE.

JOHN M. KETTLEWOOD, OF NEW BRIGHTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

POLEQSOCKET AND N'ECK-YOKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 377,679, dated February 7, 1888. Application filed June 25, 1887. Serial No. 242,468. (No model.)

To all whom/ it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN M. KETTLEWOOD, of New Brighton, in the county of Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pole- Sockets and Neck-Yokes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,

which form a part of this specification, and in WhiGh- Figure 1 is a perspective view of as much of the front part of a vehicle and its pole as is necessary to illustrate my invention. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal vertical sectional View of the same; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the neck-yoke fastening and of the forward portion of the pole, showing the parts separated.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

My inventionhas relation to that class of poles for vehicles in which the pole is connected by a ball-and-socket joint to the front axle, and in which the forward end of the pole has a ball-and-socket joint connecting the neck-yoke; and it consists in the improved construction and combination of parts of such a pole and its connections, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 indicates thepole, which is provided at its rear end with a casting or tip, 2, having a ball, 3, at the end, and the front axle, 4, of the vehicle is provided witha sleeve formed by two halves, 5, hinged together at one edge, and provided at the other edge with two forwardly-projecting lips, 6, having a screw, 7, passing through them and drawing the sleevehalves together around the axle, and having two hemispherical sockets, 8, in their inner sides, formed with registering notches 9 in the outer ends, the said socketsiforming a spherical socket in which the ball may fit and turn, the neck of the ball projecting out through the registering notches. In this manner a fastening will be formed for the pole which will allow universal play for the same, and which may easily be detached from the axle, the hinged sleevelbeing detached by unscrewing the screw through the lips.

The forward end of the pole is reduced, as shown at 10, and a sleeve,'.11, fits loosely upon this reduced end, and has an obliquely rearwardly-projecting neck, 12, upon its upper side,which neck has a ball, 13, at its end, and

this ball may fit and turn in a socket formed by two lips, 14, projecting from two hinged sleeve-halves, 15, fitting around the neck-yoke 16, and secured together by ascrew, 17, having hemispherical recesses 18 in their inner sides, formed with registering notches 19 in the outer ends for the passage of the neck of the ball.

It will be seen that the sleeve-halves may be secured upon the neck-yoke by tightening the screw, and that by having the ball of the sleeve upon the end of the tongue projecting rearwardly and obliquely and having it turning in the socket the draft of the horses holding back upon the neck-yoke will fallin the proper direction upon the tongue, and the neck-yoke will have free play in all directions, so that the holding back of both horses will be-equalized. The sleeve having the ball being loosely fitted upon the end of the pole, the team may be quickly disengaged from the vehicle, as

they may draw the sleeve of from the pole as soon as the traces have been unfastened, and by having the sleeve fitting upon the end of thetongue or pole the strain from the -neckyoke will be more divided and over agreater other edge, each of which lips is provided with a notch in its outer edge, a screw for securing said halves together, and a sleeve having a rearwardly-projecting neck upon its upper side, and a ball upon the end of the neck adapted to fit between the recessed lips upon the sleeve-halves, substantially as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto affixed my signature in presence of two.witnesses. 1

JOHN M. KETTLEWOOD.

\Vitnesses:

L. F. JACKSON, E. W. KEYSER. 

